Magdalena Dobromila Rettigová (31 January 1785 – 5 August 1845) was a

Czech Czech may refer to: * Anything from or related to the Czech Republic, a country in Europe ** Czech language ** Czechs, the people of the area ** Czech culture ** Czech cuisine * One of three mythical brothers, Lech, Czech, and Rus' Places * Czech, ...

writer known for her famous cookery book.

Biography

Rettigová, née Artmann, was born in Všeradice, into a German-speaking family. Her childhood was not happy and her father died in 1792. In 1808 she married Jan Alois Sudiprav Rettig, a Czech patriot from a half-German speaking family. Under his influence she learned to speak and write correctly in

and also started to use her middle name ''Dobromila''. Rettigová was active in the

Czech National Revival The Czech National Revival was a cultural movement which took place in the Czech lands during the 18th and 19th centuries. The purpose of this movement was to revive the Czech language, culture and national identity. The most prominent figures o ...

movement, also helped to found an educational institute for girls (her main advice for the girls was to keep their husband happy no matter what). Of her 11 children only three survived into adult age. She died, aged 60, in

Litomyšl Litomyšl (; german: Leitomischl) is a town in Svitavy District in the Pardubice Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 9,900 inhabitants. It is former bishopric and Latin Catholic titular see. Litomyšl is known for the château-type castle c ...

. Her early literary works were mostly syrupy and sentimental texts. In 1826 Rettigová published her legendary (in Czech circles) recipe book "A Household Cookery Book or A Treatise on Meat and Fasting Dishes for Bohemian and Moravian Lasses". This book became a 19th-century bestseller and for a long time remained the only cookery book written in Czech. Rettigová continued to improve the book with culinary experiments. Most of the recipes in her cookbook were written without access to foreign spices, and thus require adaptation to fit with modern lifestyle. The book is still being reprinted and a copy can be found in libraries of many Czech households.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rettigova, Magdalena Dobromila Food writers 1785 births 1845 deaths Women dramatists and playwrights Dramatists and playwrights from the Austrian Empire 19th-century women writers People from Beroun District Writers from the Austrian Empire